PVG’s glove has always been solid, but he used the bat to end the game last night. By Owen Main

The bases were loaded with one out in the bottom of the tenth inning, and Peter Van Gansen came through. On the first pitch of the at-bat, Van Gansen drove the ball down the right field line for a game winning hit.

For video of Van Gansen’s walk-off, click here. 

So far this season, Van Gansen’s slash line is .313/.389/.413 in 39 games. He has two homers and 18 RBIs. He’s even stolen five bases.

Also on his Northwest League All-Star team was former Mustang Brian Mundell. Playing for low-A Boise, Mundell is has a .267/.354/.389 slash line to go with two home runs and 19 RBIs.

Mundell started the game at first base and went 0-2. Van Gansen came into the game as a pinch hitter and went 1-2 with a pair of walks.

Click here for photos of Van Gansen and Mundell signing autographs prior to the game.

Brian Milne was in the middle of this scrum and talked about it on Podcast 71.

What’s it like to kayak at McCovey Cove during an All Star Game? Why would Bruce Bochy leave Tim Lincecum in for 148 pitches? And what do you do when an All Star Game is bereft of a true hero?

Brian and I explored these and other issues on the most sports-bereft day of the year – the day after the Major League Baseball All Star Game.

Here’s a link to the Detroit Free Press article about Brian kayaking in McCovey cove during the 2007 All Star Game.

Podcast can be played under the YouTube clip.

So the Major League Baseball All-Star Game was last night. After watching some of the midsummer classic on TV, reading a lot about it before and after, and conversations that I’ve seen and had, here are some notes:

Bochy vs. Kershaw

Bruce Bochy knows exactly what he’s doing. After making the right decision to start Matt Harvey in the All Star Game in New York, Bochy took an implicit pot-shot at Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw. Kershaw, who could lead the league in ERA for the third straight year (a feat last accomplished by Greg Maddux), could get with the young phenom starting the game in his home park.

Then, Bochy said, “It wouldn’t have mattered what city we were playing in with the year he’s had,” referring to Harvey.”

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRp_mVi969I

Back that up for a minute Boch. You’re saying that the dude with an ERA under 2 who has led the league in ERA for each of the past two seasons isn’t a little better? The guy who singlehandedly beat your Giants on opening day by pitching a shutout and hitting a home run wasn’t up to snuff if the game had been played in, say, St. Louis?

Bochy knew what he was saying and doing though. He’s been in the league for far too long for that to be anything but an intentional poke at the 25 year-0ld Kershaw. The Dodgers have become the target — a team with more innate swagger and big contracts anyone has ever had who is playing well and finally making a run at the National League West. Bochy’s World Series champs are on a losing streak and fighting to stay out of last place. Any story to keep people’s mind off of that is a good thing for him. Hence his comment.

All Kershaw said was, “That’s his opinion,” according to the LA Times article. Kershaw pitched a perfect third inning and will go into the second half of the season with a little more motivation to continue to be as dominant as he has been.

Neil Diamond: Please stop

I have to admit. I turned the game on in the 6th inning. I would have watched more, but when you have a pregnant wife and a list of chores longer than the list of orders guys allegedly placed with Biogenesis, sometimes things fall by the wayside.

Matt Harvey deserved to start in his home park, but Bochy threw a few jabs anyway. By slgckgc on Flickr, (via Wikimedia Commons

In the 8th inning, they showed Neil Diamond getting ready to sing. A week or two ago, I saw him perform at a game and wondered why and how he is still relevant. His performance then was mediocre. Last night, he came out to sing Sweet Caroline and with a cheerful (if bored) crowd waiting, what could have gone wrong? We found out quickly.

When the music and lyrics aren’t synched up, listening to a classic song sang out of rhythm becomes an instant channel turner. If fans hadn’t switched off their TV’s before then, they did afterwards.

The decision to have Neil Diamond perform at the game wasn’t a horrible one. Neil brought what energy he could to the thing. But to have it go the way it did was not good for Diamond and not good for baseball. Dogs jumping through hoops on fire or something would have probably been more awesome.

A memo to Bud Selig that he will probably never get

Unless someone prints this out for him, he may never read what I’m about to write. In all fairness, I’m sure he probably wouldn’t have read it anyway.

It was reported this week that Selig has never sent an email. And he says he “never will.” Some people think it’s a good thing to be “above” email and other forms of less-effective, if more efficient communication.

But they are wrong. Selig not having email is an issue. A huge, foul pole-sized one.

What do Ford Frick (left) and Bud Selig have in common? They were both MLB commissioners and neither ever sent an email.

For a game that has been accused of being “behind the times,” the public image that the industry’s leader maintains is an important one. The image of an man pushing 80 and not embracing technology is sure to turn off anyone under 50 who deals with and uses email throughout their daily work lives. To think about a loss in efficiency that would come with not having email is overwhelming for someone like me.

I hope the answer is that the commish has an amazing assistant or 5 who is/are in charge of his regular communications and work with him in a way that allows him to still be an efficient and effective manager of a game so precious to so many. If that’s the case, he should have explained that a little more clearly.

Baseball hasn’t exactly been hurting — players salaries haven’t gone down and teams like the Dodgers are worth billions of dollars. But, if league leadership ever wonders what they could do to better engage a younger demographic of fans with so many other options for entertainment, who are drawn away from america’s pastime, they need look no farther than a culture cultivated by a leader who is unable to or refuses to use email.

The second half will be fun.

Five out of six division races in baseball are within 2 1/2 games and there are great stories all over the place. You just have to do a little digging. After all, you won’t be getting any email updates from Bud any time soon.

Matt Jones was our 199th Facebook “like.” He also brought the heat on the podcast. Someday we’ll even talk to him about training for a marathon or distance race.

Happy 4th of July!

On this week’s episode, We called up our 199th Facebook “like,” and Luke got a chance to defend putting LeBron James so high on his list of top-20 NBA players of all-time.

Should Yasiel Puig be part of the All Star Game? Do the Angels matter in Los Angeles? Should the Lakers be begging Dwight Howard to come back?

Enjoy the podcast.

Chris Davis has had a break-out year this season. By Keith Allison on Flickr, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s about that time again, time for the Major League Baseball All-Star game.

Most professional all-star games aren’t as competitive as the real deal, but generally thats not the case for the MLB’s version of the game. This game actually matters because the winning league earns home-field advantage in the World Series. I, like a lot of fans, disagree with this rule because like any other sport, home field advantage should be based off of record not which league played better in the All Star Game. If that were the case, the Western Conference in the NBA would have had home court advantage six times out of the past ten years. This rule needs to be changed but I don’t see it being changed anytime soon. But for what is it, it makes the game that much more compelling to watch and root on your own teams league.

And if the game is going to decide who gets World Series home field advantage, it is certainly wrong that the fans vote the starting players into the game. It should be based off the best players from each position that get to play in the game not off of bias fan voting. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy putting in my own votes every year but, to be honest, I usually vote for my team’s players who I know will never make the cut.

Here are my starting nine players from each league that should be in the starting lineups for this year’s All Star game next month and some of their stats (as current as June 24th, 12:03am):

American League:

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins (.330, 8 HR, 25 RBI)

First Base: Chris Davis, Baltimore Orioles (.336, 27 HR, 70 RBI)

Second Base: Robinson Cano, New York Yankees (.276, 16 HR, 45 RBI)

Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore Orioles (.267, 15 HR, 44 RBI)

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers (.370, 20 HR, 75 RBI)

Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox (.316, 16 HR, 55 RBI)

Outfielders:

Adam Jones, Baltimore Orioles (.298, 15 HR, 55 RBI)

Mike Trout, Anaheim (not Los Angeles) Angels (.306, 12 HR, 46 RBI)

Jose Bautista, Toronto Blue Jays (.254, 16 HR, 42 RBI)

Starting Pitcher: Clay Buchholz, Boston Red Sox (9-0, 1.71 ERA, 81 K)

National League:

Catcher: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals (.353, 5 HR, 41 RBI)

First Base: Paul Goldschmidt, Arizona Diamondbacks (.306, 19 HR, 65 RBI)

Second Base: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds (.265, 11 HR, 60 RBI)

Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Los Angeles Dodgers (.358, 4 HR, 10 RBI)*

Third Base: David Wright, New York Mets (.309, 12 HR, 41 RBI)

Outfielders:

Carlos Beltran, St. Louis Cardinals (.305, 17 HR, 46 RBI)

Justin Upton, Atlanta Braves (.240, 15 HR, 34 RBI)

Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado Rockies (.3004, 21 HR, 57 RBI)*

Starting Pitcher: Matt Harvey, New York Mets (7-1, 2.05 ERA, 121 K)

*Because of injuries to Troy Tulowitzki and Bryce Harper